Thank you to Robbie Cheadle and Latinos USA for featuring Flora Blanca this Holiday Season!
While we are celebrating the Holidays, pop over to Gigi’s for an Art Gowns’ Fashion Show of all original designs, created especially for CHICKMAS at The Coop!
This book of poetry is luscious, rich with words and resplendent with photographs. It inspired me to draw.
This was the first poem that I remembered when I finished reading the book. It’s not long, and Merril was kind enough to send us a recording of her reciting it. So, let’s listen to it, instead of reading it!
I sent a few photos of the drawing, to Merril. Photos of art are difficult to take. They never look exactly like they do in real life, they change with the light.
Merril – It’s gorgeous in any light! Thank you so much!
Merril -One thing–that you could not possibly know–for me, the poem has three figures. That’s just me, and of course, you wouldn’t know that. [My younger sister, my niece who is like my sister, and I spent a lot of time caring for and coordinating the care for my mom.]
Resa – That’s …. beautiful. Your mom was so loved.
This next drawing is representative of many poems in the book. Merril depicts time through nature; its seasons changing, dying and renewal, family generations, birds, waves, clouds, storms coming… going.
In this regard, she speaks much of the beauty of life. To depict that, I have drawn a beautiful woman, in an earthy gown. The gown turns into an upside down tree. Its branches depict the changing seasons, time.
Question for everyone! I’d love to see some answers in comments.
Spontaneously – What is the colour that comes to your mind when I say TIME?
Think more about it! – Now what colours do you see?
Merril – Well, you’d probably guess that I said blue.
Resa – Yes…I did figure blue!
Merril – Then I see blue–various shades, ombre kind of thing– then darkening with shimmery stars and pops of red and yellow–like space. Like a movie of space.
Resa – I asked a good friend. He said blue. Then, a few moments later he blurted out, green. Later he said he saw time as a sandy colour… not quite gold, but earthy.
Merril – I get what he said, too. I like that his changes, too, because time moves.
(inspired by “French Lavender Head,” an art piece by Karen Pierce Gonzalez)
In her hands-jolts of electric blue--
The incense of ocean and earth, lavender
and brine, seaweed and peat. A pop of red chilies,
some saffron, spring greens, roses--
this is my world, she thinks,
clutches it tighter.
Resa – To me, a fascination lies in “art inspiring art”. In the case of “French Lavender Head”, the art inspired a poem, then the poem inspired art. It’s cycling: Art to poetry to art.
Merril – I like the idea of circling inspiration–art to poetry to art. Isn’t that the way? We’re all inspired by what we see, hear, smell, taste, read about. . .and then each individual interprets these things, that then get reinterpreted, and on and on.
The first image I drew was this flying woman against an unknown mystery background. It’s inspired by a feel in the book, and of specific lines, but not any 1 poem.
but my ancestors spread wings
that covered centuries
to catch me, guide me,
You can, they said,
as they showed me that I have my own wings-
unfold them, fly. This, too, is part of the pattern.
I took the shot on a cloudy day and closed the aperture to get a mystery feel.
Crushed beneath
an un-mooned sky
black shapes drift inside
of grey
who finally see the shadows
like storm clouds-and the bitter rain,
a tidal surge,
Then I thought, but it’s too dark. People will get the wrong impression. After all, there’s lots of light in this book.
There are days I want to remember I-we-
are made of starry specks, stellar dust,
and feel the light we carry within.
So, I opened the aperture on a sunny day, and took more pics. Nothing seemed like “stellar dust”, so I did editing until:
Then I thought, “that’s not it either.” Having taken shots in different light, then editing all the different shots… I ended up with a couple dozen different versions of the same drawing.
Then I realized why I couldn’t get a grip! Time slips through our fingers. Only time can hold time, within its folds.
CHANGING SPIRIT OF FLYING WOMAN SLIDESHOW
Time moves on, and things keep changing, changing, changing…. That is why my flying woman kept changing. She’s flowing with the spirit of this book.
To learn more about this amazing writer & poet, just click on her pic below and go to her website.
You can also click here and visit Merril on her blog!
Held Within the Folds of Time is available in hardcover and ebook format on Amazon. Click on the cover and go there!
THANK YOU MERRIL FOR WRITING AMAZING POETRY!
… and taking wonderful photos …
& Allegorical Drawings by Resa
There is music. The cafe is filled with revellers. Their drunken laughter is loud, but the seasons slip away, and they need something to remember.
A year has passed, and I still light my candles for the window and hope fades like summer into fall.
The mirror has no mercy, a reminder of all that has passed through these hands. There is no holding back the past or what lies ahead.
The night deepens as we raise our glasses to the seasons of honey and fire and the aching memory of lovers slipped away.
At the top of the stairs the hours pass hurriedly, lovers flee the break of dawn. Subdued seduction , silhouettes in flickering candlelight.
In black tie and silk gowns, the bourgeoisie sip cognac , exhale circlets of smoke from cigarillos into the softly whirring blades of a bamboo fan.
The walls are thin and the wood floor is bare. Music drifts upward, slips under my door, “La Vie En Rose”, the sighs of desperate lovers , their bodies pressed against one another.
At my mirror I braid silver thread through my hair. Should the Frenchman return I am wearing the dress he likes. Last night he signaled with a stone at my window .
He has taught me how to say I love you and other endearing terms in his tongue.
At the hollow of my throat I dab a bit of the perfume he bought for me in Berlin. I’m not sure that is true but I like the scent.
He wants me to follow him but he is not my kind. The weak can not survive love that is bound to die nor can they forgive.
All Poetry © Holly Rene Hunter – Visit House of Heart to read more of her fabulous poetry!
All drawings © Resa McConaghy
Holly for contributing your luscious poems to this collaboration & to Gigi for being the hallway model (where the music notation is actually the first 5 bars to La Vie en Rose).
Robbie invited me to chat technique about my fashion drawings and portraits on her blog. I’m having a blast over there, so if you haven’t already pop over and enjoy the groove!
One day soon, I will draw Mademoiselle Emily!
Dahlings, welcome to Teagan’s “Reinvention Series”! I am honoured to be her third guest.
One thing about gathering the reinvention pics is one does go back over a part of a life. Lots of reflecting ensues. For me this has been a positive experience. So head over to Teagan’s and check it all out!
To kick things off, Teagan’s Reinvention Androids put on a fashion show for us. One good show deserves another! So, here’s a retro collection of Art Gowns drawings – just for fun!
Holly has done another fab bio. This time it is on the late great Tina Turner. It is again an honour to provide the drawing for the article.
Head on over and give it a read!
What an inspirational person!
It was a nothing, no where, no how day. No one seemed to know who sent the invitation?
Up for adventure and treasure, Genevieve donned her favourite party dress. Arriving at the address on the back of the invite, she found herself in beautiful garden that lead to a porch with 2 cats on it.
She stood in front of the door on the left, and wondered if it was the right one to knock on? This One, or the Other?
Using the knocker, she rapped on the left door, the one she was standing in front of.
The door opened, she walked in and suddenly began to feel herself fade.
A few seconds passed, and Genevieve began to feel herself recover.
But where was she, and why was she in new gown?
A beautiful woman in another fabulous gown informed Genevieve she was at a wedding, in South Africa. It was very special, and being held at….
She was gifted turquoise-blue glass beads made from left over bits of glass.
It was a wonderful party and she danced what seemed forever under the blue celebration sky. Then someone took her hand.
They said “come, come see”, and they walked through the door of the outside room.
Whereupon Genevieve found herself in blackness.
As darkness yielded to light, she found herself wearing an elegant kimono with obi.
It didn’t take long for her to realize that she was in …
Suddenly the giant creature came to life. Like a gargantuan thin, wiry Godzilla it began to attack, sending people fleeing out of the door.
Genevieve began fleeing, then espied a massive red net, just outside the door.
She grabbed the net, and deftly threw it over the spider.
After finishing off the spider with a few martial arts moves, she began feeling cold. She became so cold, she began turning blue.
Genevieve was in a blue frozen land at the bottom of the earth.
She walked with 2 Pinguini through a door and into an ice manor.
She adored the Pinguini. She held them and hugged them and kissed them.
The Pinguini gave her an icy blue velvet gown, a boa made of snow and diamonds made of ice. Genevieve was made Principessa del Pinguini.
Principessa del Pinguini.
She never felt so warm.
Through frozen tears, she told the Pinguini she could not live with them forever. She asked them if they could help her get home?
Sad as they were, the Pinguini told her to look up into the sun!
As she looked up, she felt a ray of sun capture her.
Next thing Genevieve knew, she was back on the porch, by the garden. Her treasures surrounded her: Ice diamonds, a snow boa, glass beads and an obi.
She had gone in One Door and come out of the Other Door. Genevieve was back where she had started. In the end, One door led to the Other.
The snow boa and Ice diamonds began to melt, yet she was happier than she had ever been.
It was evident that things were ephemeral, and that the only lasting treasures were inside her memories; inside her mind and heart.
Visit Dan at the Annual Doors 2025 Challenge! OR Check out his fab blog in general!
Teagan, thank you for your doors and the inspiration they fostered!
Thank you Robbie for your fab doors from your travels, and the ingenuity they delivered.
Quote by Jim Morrison
Helen Martins Owl house & Mori Art Gallery sentences are hot links.
All outfits are one-of a kind designs hand-made by Resa.
Except Doors images, all photos are © Resa McConaghy.
Of note: Opening party dress is made from a batik silk scarf made by my m-i-l, Yuki (RIP)
Kimono fabric is from a 100 year old piece made from pineapple strands – A gift from Diana (Myths of the Mirror)
In America it was the Gilded Age, in the United Kingdom it was the Victorian era and in France it was La Belle Époque.
Inspired by Tissot’s fashion prints of the era, Art Gowns has designed its own gowns, and gone back in time to show them off. Made possible by Venus and the moon, we went through the the Tangle-Heart and moved backwards 137 years.
Rebecca, the first to land in 1888, went about setting up a fashion show at Le Chat Noir. Her palazzo pants, carefully hidden by the period’s draping fabrics, allowed her to move around without arousing suspicion.
The venue was a one night extravaganza at La Chat Noir in the Montmartre district of Paris.
Thought to be the first modern night club, it was opened on 18 November 1881 and closed in 1897.
NOW, Here’s Rebecca!
Thank you, Rene! We have a thrilling show tonight, so let me get right at it, and present les beaux modèles de la Belle Époque!
First out on the stage is Modèle de Robes d’Art, Shey. Shey is dressed for afternoon tea or “gouter” as known in Paris. Her fan’s print is inspired by the new Japanese aesthetics.
Next out is Gigi dressed for a night at the theare! Her asymetric ruffles play second fiddle only to her Statue of Liberty inspired diadème.
Now, back from her gown change is Mademoiselle Rene with a very Special announcement!
Thank you, Rebecca! Mes Chéris, all of us at Art Gowns put our design hats on and created a special La Belle Époque Super Hero outfit for Princess Blue Holly. Art Gowns presents:
What an honour! Thank you to all! This is a momentous outfit! I love the boots, and they only take a half hour each to button up.
It must have been very difficult to be a female Super Hero in the 1880’s. So much beautiful fabric would make flying a bit of a challenge. Snagging would be an issue and the corsetry is somewhat confining when delivering the martial arts moves.
Check out the Freedom difference between 2025 and 1888! ……. aaaand back to Rebecca!
Thank you Princess Blue Holly! You look simply marvellous. That is one special outfit.
Perfect for taking the carriage to the fashion shops, Dale wears a travelling jacket of pinstripe twill, with brocade fishtail skirt completed with a voile tail under a ruched and layered silk bussel. A dainty reticule is the perfect accessory.
It’s a sunny day and Rene is back in another costume change. This is a miracle considering all the buttons she had to do up, as the zipper was not invented until 1917. She is off to the museum with a rose detail parasol and rose reticule.
It’s “dinner at eight” and the opera for Modèle de Robes d’Art, Marina. A rose print corset top with a panière effect from the waist to hips is a lovely accentuation to the fitted fishtail skirt.
Holly is off to a fancy party in white silk with red ruffle corset top and a skirt of silk Swiss dot. A lush red bow sets off the rose detailed bussel and tail with ruffles on the inside and out.
I’m sad to say the show has come to an end, buts let’s hear it for Mademoiselle Rene, who shall bid you adieu.
Mes Chéris, bon soir! We hate to leave, but it’s time to return to the future! Please enjoy Arabesque No.1 by Claude Debussy, while the beaux modèles de la Belle Époque make their departures.
No one saw when the AGM’s made their way back through the Tangle-Heart as contrails. All landed safely in the Bosque by Tim’s.
However, as Rene began her journey to the future she encountered a strange energy.
She landed back at Tim’s in Rebecca’s Black Bamboo, but she wasn’t herself, nor all there.
No one was worried! All were sure Princess Blue Holly would save her.
However and unfortunately, as you and I know, Rene IS Princess Blue Holly!
Princess Blue Holly & Rene Rosso Character © Resa McConaghy & Holly Rene Hunter
Since 2019
Visit them on their blogs!
Dale – Holly – Gigi – Marina – Shey
Visit Rebecca!
Tissot, a name I hadn’t heard much. Then the AGO announced an exhibit featuring their collection of 2 oil paintings, 1 watercolour and 30 etchings on paper.
In the last decades of the nineteenth century, James Tissot portrayed women within the contradictions of the period.
Modernity via the speed of travel, fashion and commodity culture is juxtaposed with the constraint of women’s every day lives.
A well dressed woman reads a newspaper. The fashionable Japanese-influenced wallpaper lining the wall informs of her engagement with the outside world & knowledge of trends.
Fashion magazines and novels were appropriate for Victorian women.
Newspapers were linked to men, as they symbolized factual knowledge and interest in global politics. Although, the image below depicts another reason a woman would read a newspaper.
The above image portrays a young woman and her mother in a Parisian park. The black clothing suggests they are mourning a male relative, and are without a dowry. The daughter sits in an available position, while the mother searches the newspapers for marriage offers.
“Best known for his paintings of fashionable figures, Tissot began his career in Paris. While he turned down Edgar Degas’s invitation to exhibit with the impressionists, he shared the groups desire to portray scenes of modern life in an innovative style. He moved to London in 1871 after fighting in the Franco-Prussian War, and became a popular painter of Victorian scenes, particularly those showing young women in typically modern moments, before returning to France in 1882.” – Art Gallery of Ontario
A well dressed young woman walks to church holding a bible. Her raised eyebrows and tentative gaze pose the question, does she need to atone for her sins, or is she nervous about being late for service?
Horizontal women’s bodies were lubricous from a voyeuristic perspective.
Slumbering female figures had erotic connotations in the Victorian Era, especially in semi-conscious states like dreaming or sleeping.
Now discredited – The below woman’s twisted hand was indicative of the pathological disorder – hysteria. This “chic” female disease was considered fashionably feminine and modern.
The moral ambiguity of Tissot’s images was integral to their popular appeal.
British critics claimed they were too, risqué, too French.
Other than the title, I know only that the etching below is in the Hippodrome (ℹ︎ Met Museum site). I was mesmerized by it. All that skin makes the costumes seem so modern and the Statue of Liberty crowns were piquing.
I can’t get everything into 1 post, so there will be a Tissot – II. In the meantime, I leave you with a shot of the 1 watercolour with gouache on paper.
The young girl’s bored stare, pale skin, under eye circles with oversized bonnet and gloves (highlighting weight loss) suggest tuberculosis.
“Consumption” was coined a term, as it consumed patients, and ate away bodies.
Is she waiting for someone or something?
Is she waiting to heal or die?
Photos © Resa McConaghy – Taken January 7, 2025
Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, Canada
Information Source: The Art gallery of Ontario
Inspiration came in 2 boxes from Diana – Myths of the Mirror
Linens & laces inherited from great grandmother & grandmother to mother then her, became all mine; an Art Gown to share.
Her beauty holds memories of Victorian times, and the bright light of many tomorrows.
Victorian Sonnet is dedicated to Diana, her great grandmother Emilie, her grandmother Truly (Caroline), and and her mother Tineke (Dutch nickname for Anna Martine).
Structure
Iambic pentameter – 5 feet to a line – 4 lines to a verse – 3 verses & a couplet
Rhyme scheme – ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG
Third verse volta
I
Dear Diana your lace and your linen
Great grand mother, grandma, mother then you
Woven treasure fair sent passed on to begin
Romance dance a dress white and blue.
Lace held, fabric draped inspiration gold
Creation libation confusion strewn
All threads gay with gathers theirs to unfold
Ancestry, a love light shimmering through!
Yet should something arise break then the spell
To find magic's construct tattered and torn
Ere rendered fore tendered tossed into the swell
Became fragments merely blithely left lorn.
Our memory painted lingers in mind,
Inherited Victoriana's time.
© Resa
When the fabrics arrived, I threw the lot on top of Lilac Fan Dance. There was also a fabulous mosquito net with cotton top.
When the time came to begin, there was so much lace and linens, I needed to spread them all out.
All laces and fabrics were hand washed, and tested for tensile strength.
A bertha collar was formed from a bed jacket’s trim and lined with mosquito net.
An underskirt was cut from the cotton top of the netting.
Mosquito netting was added to the underskirt to make it full length. Lace cut from the lace tablecloth was sewn on top of the netting.
A blue linen jacquard tablecloth was formed into a corset shaped top with straps into a plunging back.
My friend Kat gifted me a new Judy, so I transferred the gown to her. She also sent massive yardage of new, but cut into, winter white synthetic curtain sheer, found for a pittance at the good will.
After washing, the sheer was cut into a 3 tiered overskirt, and trimmed with the lace yardages. The sheer makes a solid backing that fortifies the antique laces.
Two side tails were draped in bias from the sheer, then trimmed with edges cut from the lace tablecloth.
A third centre tail was draped from the mosquito netting on bias. This tail was trimmed with the last of the lace yardages. It was then filled in with geometrically placed doilies, table covers and bits of cut up lace edgings.
A bussel was formed from blue serviettes that matched the bodice’s tablecloth, and eyelet lace trim from the second bed jacket.
Vintage hand covered buttons adorn the bodice.
She’s so beautiful, I went overboard taking pics.
OUTTAKES
November, 2023 – The 2 boxes arrived, from Diana. Lilac Fan Dance was still in the making. I knew Diana was mid book. In May, 2024 Victorian Sonnet was begun. 6+ months later, the gown and Diana’s book – Tale of the Seasons’ Weaver – were finished, more or less at the same time.
Available exclusively on AMAZON – Worldwide
How is an art gown like a good book?
You hate it to end!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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